Overhead railway



A. J. ENGLUND OVERHEAD RAILWAY July 8 1924.

Filed Jan. 11 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 L/PAJ July 8. 1924.

A. J. ENGLUND OVERHEAD RAILWAY Filed Jan. 11, 1924 2 Sheets-Shee'z 2unlcl Patented July 8, 1924.

' UNITED, STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANDERS JOHAN ENGLUND, F SPOKANE, WASHINGTON.

OVERHEAD RAILWAY;

Application filed January 11, 1924. Serial No. 685,711. i

To all w/Lom it may concern: v Be it known that I, ANDERS J OHANENGLUND, a citizen of Sweden, residing at Spokane, in Spokane County,and State of Washington, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Overhead Railways, of which the following is aspecification. 7 A

The present invention relates to improve- 10 ments in overhead railwaysof the single rail type designed" forindustrial use and particularlyapplicable in logging operations for transporting logs over mountainousor hilly lands where the usual surface railways cannot be built. i

The invention involves the utilization of a train of coupled trucks withsuitable propelling mechanism, and each truck is equipped with a pairof'tiltable, outwardly dumping carriers supported below the overheadrail or track. Novel combinations and arrangements of partsare'providedfor retaining the carriers innormal position and forreleasing the carriers at the proper time, as well as for retaining theload on the'carriers. Means are employed for shifting the single supportfor the pair of carriers to properly balance the load on the truck, andother features are provided whereby logs and other materials to betransported may be handled with facility during the necessaryoperations.

The invention consists in certain novel combinations and arrangementso-fparts as will be hereinafter more specifically set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings one complete example of the physicalembodiment of the invention is illustrated wherein'the parts arecombined and arranged in accordance with the best mode I have thus fardevised for the practical application of the principles of my invention.

' Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view of the railway structureshowing, a truck in cross section and a pair of carriers in endelevation. V

Figure 2 is a top plan view illustrating portions of a pair of coupledtrucks and the mechanism for laterally shifting the load of thecarriers, for counterbalancing.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the shifting mechanism of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a s1de elevation of a portion of the overhead railway withone truck and carrier thereon. A

Figureti is a top plan view of the cross beam forsupporting the dumpingcarriers at the longitudinal center of a truck and the operatingmechanism for releasing the pair of carriers. v H Figure 6 15, anenlarged vertical sectional View of one of the'L-sliaped carriers andits supportlngarm, together with looking and releasing means therefor.

Figure 7 is a perspective view of one of the locking devices for thecarriers. The s ngle track of the overhead railway is composed ofstandard railroad rails as 1,

properly supported on the tops of spaced posts or uprights 2, ,whichposts are mortised in and supported from the cross ties 3 havinglateraldiagonal braces 4. At a suitable height these posts are providedwith side guides or trackways 5 5, one at eachside of the posts, whichextend parallel with the single track rail 1.

In Figure 2 portions of a pair of trucks are indicated as A and B,whichare coupled as by a link C, and these trucks are cou pled and,utilized] in suitable numbers to form a train propelled by: suitablepower and adapted to transport logs as indicated in Figure 1. The logs(or other material to be transported) are carried by two or more trucksdepending upon the length of the logs,- and as the load carried issupported at a suitable position below the overhead track, the center ofgravity of the'l oaded'truck is brought to the required point to insurestabilizingof the train or series of coupled trucks while in transit.

,The trucks are supported above'the single trackand each truck, which isrectangular in shape, ismade up of a pair of longitudinallyextendingparallel bolsters 6, 6, preferably, of channel iron, which aretied together with straps or tie'plates 7, and the pair of groovedtraction wheels 8 are journaled'in bearings 9-therefor on the top of thetruck. The wheels are spaced apart equidistant from the longitudinalcenter of bolted to thetwo side bolsters to provide a rigid brace andsupport a transversely arprovided a transverse plate 10 riveted orranged shaft 11 which is journaled in bearings 12 on the top of thecenter plate and over the bolsters. This shaft is journaled to oscillatein its bearings, and is also adapted to be shifted laterally of thetruck, the truck however remaining at all times in parallelism with thesingle rail and per pendicular thereto regardless of the location of thelongitudinal plane of the rail.

The horizontally disposed shaft 11 is provided with a rigid or integralupright stud shaft or pedestal 13 formed with a shoulder 13, and on thispedestal and its shoulder a cross beam 14 is supported, a block 15 beingindicated in dotted lines as forming a rigid member of the beam forengage ment with the pedestal, and resting upon the shoulder 13. Thecross beam is thus directly supported above the truck on the pedestal,and a nut 16 on the threaded end 17 of the pedestal retains the beam inposition. The beam projects equidistant at the sides of the truck asuitable distance and may be made up of metal shapes to insure strengthand rigidity. At the respective ends of the beam are aflixed a pair ofdepending arms 18 and 19, preferably of angle irons or channel irons,which arms curve inwardly from the beam ends and then extend straightand downwardly parallel with the vertical axis of the single rail.Vertical braces formed of metal plates 20 are bolted or riveted to thecross beams and to the respective supporting arms to insure rigidity ofthe structure, and of course these members which constitute a supportingframe depending from but movable relatively to the truck, arecounterbalanced as closely as may be, and are provided with guiderollers 21.

For longitudinally shifting the shaft 11 together with this supportingframe transversely of the truck body to equalize the load at the sidesof the rail and balance the carriers to be described, I employ theshifting mechanism best shown in Figures 2 and 3. A screw bar 22disposed trans versely of the truck is journaled in a hearing 23 on oneof the bolsters 6 and provided with a hand wheel 24 at the side of thetruck. On the screw bar is carried a travelling, nonrotatable nut 25operatively connected with a shifting lever 26 which is pivoted at 27 onthe truck. At the end of the shifting lever a transversely extendinglink 28 is pivoted which link carries a fork 29 operatively connectedwith the shaft 11 at one end. It will readily be apparent that byturning the hand wheel in desired direction the shaft may be shiftedlongitudinally in its bearings, as indicated by dotted lines, whichmovement results in a lateral shifting of the supporting frame withrelation to the truck. In some in stances the wheels 24 may be removedand replaced by sprocket wheels andthese wheels on succeeding truckswill be connected by chains in order that two or more supporting framesmay be shifted simultaneously with relation to their trucks.

The supporting frame of the truck carries a pair of opposed carriers 30and :31, which may be outwardly and downwardly tilted for dumping theload. These carriers are of L-shape and preferably of channel ironconstruction, each having a horizontally disposed load-bearing arm 32projecting outwardly from the railway center, and the vertical portionsof these carriers when they are in carryingposition embrace thesupporting arms 18 and 19 as shown.

At the lower ends of the supporting arms 18 and 19 hinges 33rareprovided for the .L-shaped carriers to permittilting of the carrierswhen the load is to be dumped. The L-shaped carriers are locked to thesupporting arms by a latch device or turn button 34 in connection witlraslot 35 in" the upright portion of the carriers. A supporting bracket 36is provided in the supporting arm for the shank 37 of the button, and anangular lever 38 onthe shank located at the innerside of the supportingarm is utilized to turn the shank and button in manner well. understoodto lock or unlock the carrier and its supporting arm.

In addition to these devices for locking th carriers in normal positionflexible braces or cables 39 are employed, one for each carrier. Thesebraces are permanently anchored as at 40 at the opposite ends of thecross beam 14 and: the free ends of the cables are formed with; loops oreyes 41 adapted to be engaged with the respective hooks 42, one of whichis pivoted as at 43 at the outer end of each of the load bearing arms 32of the carriers. In addition to supporting theload bearing arms andrelieving the strain on the carrier locks,

o a u a I carriers as indicated in Figure 1, and prethese braces orcables retain the load: on the vent displacement of the logs;

When. the carrier, is tov be tilted, after unlocking, and the load is tobe dumped, the

hooks 42 are turned to permit disengagement therefrom of the cable loops41 by the following release mechanism. A. short length cable 44 isconnected to the hook member 42 at a point in the required align-,

lar relation to the point of attachment of the loop, which cable extendsthroughout the length of the load bearing arm 32 and is connected to apivoted plate 45 which may oscillate on its pivot 46 in the carrier."

A longer, upright cable 47 is attached to the pivoted plate, (whichplate performs the function of a bell crank lever) at a suitable pointand extends. upwardly and is p-ivotally connected with a lever arm 48which is pivoted at 49 on an upright brace 20. As

seen in Figure 1 the two lever arms 48 are located at the sides of thevertical center of the railway, and the free ends of these arms, whenthe carriers are in normal position, project up to the topof the crossbeam and at one side thereof. On the top of th cross beam is a latch 50pivoted at 51 and extending parallel with the beam and transversely ofthe truck. The latch is fashioned with a pair of detents 52, which asshown in Figure 5 project laterally from the beam in position to beengaged at their undersides by the free ends of the lever arms 48. Itwill be apparent that the load of the carrier sup-ported through theinstrumentality of the hook 42 will hold the releasing cables understrain and this strain will hold the free ends of the lever arms upagainst the detents of the latch. A pull on the releasing cord 53 willwithdraw the latch, and the weight of the load of the carrier, when thelatter is unlocked, now falls on the released hook 42 which is swung onits pivot 43 allowing the. loop 41 to be disengaged therefrom. Thecarrier is now released from the supporting cable and may tilt under theweight of the load to dump the latter. The latch 50 may be notched as at54C to permit its movement with relation to the threaded end 17 of thepedestal 13, as seen in Figure 5.

The carriers may be loaded in any usual manner after they have beenlocked and are retained in position by the supporting cables 39, and thetrain of trucks may be propelled on the track by any suitable power.

Having thus fully described my inventio-n, what I claim as new anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The combination with a railwaytruck, of a transversely arranged supporting member thereon, means onthe truck whereby said member is permitted to ,swing in the directionof'travel with relation to the truck, laterally disposed carrierssupported from said member, and means for shifting said membertransversely of the truck for counterbalanoing the weight of thecarriers.

2. The combination with a truck having a transverse shaft journaledthereon and means for shifting said shaft on its longitudinal axis, apedestal fixed to said shaft,

a transverse beam supported on the pedestal, supporting arms dependingfrom said beam, and laterally arranged carriers supported from saidarms.

3. The combination with an overhead railway truck of a transverselyarranged supporting member thereon and means whereby said member mayswing in the direction of travel of the truck, laterally disposeddepending arms carried by said member, and

outwardly tiltable carriers pivotally supported in said arms.

4. The combination with a railway truck of a transversely arranged beamsupported to swing thereabove in the direction of travel, laterallydisposed rigid arms depending from said beam, outwardly tiltablecarriers supported on said arms, a cable anchored to said beam for eachcarrier, means for attaching said cables to the carriers, and detachingmeans for said cables.

5. The combination with a railway truck of a transversely extending beamsupported on said truck, laterally disposed rigid arms depending fromsaid beam at opposite sides of the truck, outwardly tiltable carrierspivotally supported on said arms, a cable anchored on the beam at eachside of the truck, said cables having a loop at their free ends, apivoted hook on each carrierfor said loops, and means for actuating saidhooks to detach said cables.

6. The combination with a railway truck of a transversely extending beamsupported thereon, a lateral arm depending from said beam, .an L-shapedcarrier pivoted in said arm, means for locking said carrier to said arm,a cable having a looped end and anchored to said beam, at pivoted hookon the carrier for said looped end, a lever arm pivoted on said lateralarm and a flexible connection between said lever arm and hook, and areleasing latch pivoted on said beam for retaining said lever arm innormal po-' sition.

7. The combination with a truck having 8. The combination Wltll anoverhead railway truck, of a transversely arranged supporting memberthereon and means whereby said member may swing in the direction oftravelof the truck, laterally disposed arms depending from said member,outwardly tiltable carriers pivotally supported in said arms, and meansfor shifting said member transversely of the truck for counterbalancingthe load of the carriers,

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

ANDERS JOHAN ENGLUND.

